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Kimberley Process for Rough Diamonds

The Kimberley Process (KP) is the key international initiative aimed at stemming the global flow of conflict diamonds— rough diamonds that are used to fund armed conflicts. It was initiated by several southern African countries to address peace and security concerns and to protect the continent’s many national economies that depend on the diamond industry. The KP now includes more than 50 participants involved in producing, processing, importing, and exporting rough diamonds.

Ongoing Concerns

International concerns persist about the link between armed conflict and illicit international trade in rough diamonds. While “conflict diamonds” constitute a small percentage of the international diamond trade, they have had a devastating impact on peace, security, and sustainable development in affected countries.

Canadian Leadership

With leadership from Canada, the United Nations launched several initiatives over time to address this issue that led to the creation of the Kimberley Process:

In 1998, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions prohibiting the import of rough diamonds from Angola that did not have a Certificate of Origin. Canada played a key role as chair of the Angola Sanctions Committee. These measures laid the foundation for sanctions on other countries.

At the 2000 G8 Summit, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and other G8 leaders called for an international agreement on the certification of rough diamonds.